Airbnb draws scrutiny as hotels seek fairness

The Thailand Government has initiated a new set of measures to ensure fairness in hotel business and safety for tourists who seek daily rental accommodations via the Airbnb website.

Renting condo units, resort homes and shared rooms by owners on a daily basis through the Airbnb website must be construed as a violation of Hotel Act, Surapong Techaruvichit, President, Thai Hotels Association, said.

Stating that such bookings were taking place for less than 30 days without a hotel licence, the THA urged the Government to make it a law for those wanting to advertise their accommodations for short-term rental to obtain a hotel licence.

Making it clear that the Government was in favour of having fair competition in the hospitality business, Tourism and Sports Minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said the safety of those staying in rental accommodations booked via Airbnb was at risk. Operating such daily businesses without a hotel licence was illegal, she added.

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 7th, 2016 at 6:56 pm and is filed under News.
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